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Muny Shines Again with Classic production
Keeping With Tradition:
Fiddler on the Roof is Magnificent!
by Pat Lindsey
The orchestra was on the stage, the fiddler was on the roof, and the audience was enjoying a soothing breeze at The Muny Saturday night as it became enveloped in “Tradition” during the opening of “Fiddler on the Roof.” This is the story of Russian Jews living in the small village of Anatevka, Russia in 1905 when Russia was still an empire ruled by a tsar. While much of Western Europe was becoming more free and democratic, Russia was still rooted in traditional ideas of absolute monarchy.
In “Fiddler,” Tevye (played by Michael McCormick), the endearing patriach of a family of five daughters and an over-bearing wife, Golde (Anne L. Nathan), tells his story of how he must compromise his beliefs and traditions and accept change for the happiness and survival of his family. In the past, tradition dictated that the village matchmaker, Yente (Nancy Opel), would find a suitable husband for each daughter in the family, but Tevye must swallow his pride and go back on his word when his three eldest daughters find their own true loves. Tevye still believes, however, that “without tradition, our lives are as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” It is an important story with relevance today.
The big surprise from director Gary Griffin in this Muny production of “Fiddler on the Roof” is the addition of a lovely new song, “Any Day Now,” which gives more explanation and meaning to the storyline. Among the most familiar songs that send us home humming are, “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and the catchy “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” sung by Tevye’s three eldest daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava (played by Haley Bond, Briana Carlson-Goodman, and Carly Blake Sebouhian).
Other surprises happen on the big projection screen at the back of the stage, especially during a scene when Tevye fakes a nightmare to escape the wrath of his wife, Golde. Soon after Golde offers Tevye an explanation for such a nightmare, Tevye becomes even dearer to the audience when he sweetly asks Golde, “Do you love me?”
The star of this show is Tevye played by Michael McCormick, but the entire cast lifts their voices and gives wonderful performances, thus making “Fiddler on the Roof” an American musical that should be experienced now and every few years from now, like the Muny often does. It has everything that makes theater-going a meaningful and joyful tradition.
Performances of “Fiddler on the Roof” at The Muny will be nightly at 8:15 p.m. through Aug. 5.
For more information, call 314-361-1900 or 314-534-1111.
